Some Useful Questions for Executives and Managers

• "Is this one of those situations in which the poorest employee should be treated the same as the best employee?"
• "If competence were a crime, would there be enough evidence for a conviction?"
• "Assuming the person is a low-down weasel, how have you treated the other low-down weasels in your department?"
• "How many of the statements in this report are wishes and how many are facts?"
• "Where did that deadline come from and can it be changed?"
• "Do we know enough to even guess at the worst-case scenario?"
• "Once we've achieved our goal, which challenges will we face?"
• "It has been said that the lawyer says this cannot be done. Can the lawyer tell us how it can be done?"
• "Things look great but if they somehow go wrong, what will be the likely reason?"
• "Is this a battle worth fighting?"
• "How does the organization benefit from this?"
• "What were the lessons learned?"
• "Is a decision required now?"
• "Are we agreeing too quickly?"
• "Is this person a good fit for the assignment and, if so, how long will that be the case?"
• "Was this a problem in job knowledge or in job values?"
• "Is this real action or an effort to pretend that action was taken?"
• "How well do I know my employees?"
• "Are the priorities clear?"
• "Do we really know the exact Who, What, and When?"